UBS and Art Basel today published the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report, authored by renowned cultural economist Dr Clare McAndrew, and integrating strands of research from UBS and its Chief Investment Office. A comprehensive and macro-level analysis of today’s international art market, the report covers key trends in the market in the context of wider economic shifts.

Key findings:

Global Sales: The art market achieved total sales of an estimated $63.7 billion in 2017, an increase of 12% on 2016. Much of the uplift in sales in the auction and dealer sectors was at the top end of the market, capped by record prices in the auction sector, including the high-profile sale of the Leonardo da Vinci painting ‘Salvator Mundi’ for $450 million at Christie’s.

Leading Markets: The US was the largest market worldwide, accounting for 42% of sales by value, with China in second place 21% and the UK the third largest market with 20%. 72% of dealer sales in the US were to local buyers.

Asia’s Growth: The Asian market accounted for 23% of global sales in 2017, and Asian buyers accounted for 15% of dealer sales globally, with Chinese buyers representing the majority at 10%, up significantly from just 4% in 2016, reinforcing evidence of the continued growth of Asian buying power

The report draws on key strands of research by UBS and its Chief Investment Office:

A survey on the collecting behaviors of US-based high net worth individuals undertaken in collaboration with Clare McAndrew and her team, as part of UBS quarterly Investor Watch, revealed that 35%, an estimated 1 million HNWIs, were active in the art and collectibles markets. 93% of those surveyed reported that they most often bought at prices less than $50,000 and 43% reported that buying through a gallery directly or at an art fair was their preferred channel. 73% felt that a passion for collecting art was an expression of their personality, while 63% were motivated to support arts and culture, with a higher rating for women (71%) than men (59%). There was a particularly strong motivation to support local and national artists and living artists. 86% of collectors surveyed reported that they had never sold a work from their collection, and while 73% of those surveyed had a professional financial advisor, relatively few used an art advisor (8%).

Paul Donovan, Chief Economist, Global Wealth Management, UBS said: “The performance of today’s growing and globalized art market is a fascinating reflection of wider economic trends and highly correlated with GDP and HNW populations. Collecting is a passion that we share with many of our clients and alongside our own exclusive art services, this collaboration with Dr Clare McAndrew and Art Basel is a natural fit for our ongoing commitment to the research and analysis of markets and economic data for our clients.”